Russell’s of Clapton: A Bed and Breakfast That Doesn’t Have Any Weird Old People

Apparently, somewhere in Brooklyn is a secret Bed and Breakfast that plays host to a number of touring bands. That is awesome. It's cool that there are secret spots in New York still. And while we have no reason to stay there, we're glad it exists. On a recent trip to London, though, we found ourselves at Russell's of Clapton. A bed and breakfast that also plays host to a lot of traveling bands, including Gang Gang Dance, but doesn't do it on the low. Instead, it opts for the straightforward route, doing the regular B&B thing, but updating it for people that aren't really into doilies and old dudes posting up in the common area hogging all the board games.

In addition to the clean, bright, and fresh feeling rooms, the main area features books and magazines we'd actually read like The Gentlewoman (seriously dudes that issue with Adele on the cover is killer) and a collection of Love & Rockets graphic novels. There are also travel books if you're trying to figure out where to go next (we came back to New York, but Thailand was looking pretty good).

Mainly though, the biggest plus was that Russell's of Clapton cured that weird thing that happens when traveling, where you find yourself sitting on a hotel bed with the exact same floral pattern as the last hotel, wondering how you got here and how it's possible to feel so out of sorts just because you got on a plane and flew some hours away—and that's worth so much more than we ever realized.